To the fan community, the prospect of Disney buying (most of) Fox is more enticing than a Chipotle five minutes before closing (Want to get rid of some of that barbacoa? SURE I’LL TAKE FREE EXTRAS). The deal’s not done yet, but from the sound of it, it’s an impending inevitability.
And while the rest of free society debates whether or not the acquisition is actually healthy for the entertainment industry as a whole, I’ve settled in for the ride with a bunch of comics, preparing myself for a decade-plus of incredible Marvel moments I’ve only dreamed I’d see on screen!
Before we move on, it’s worth mentioning that yes, Constantin does still hold the rights for Fantastic Four, and they’ve previously just partnered with Fox. That being said, there is little reason to assume they wouldn’t partner with the House of Mouse once it became clear that’d be the only way to get these films made. So with that in mind, we’ll go forward with a bit of a presumption that Fantastic Four would eventually end up in the MCU.
Anyway, here are a few of my faves:
Hulk vs Wolverine
How it played out in the comics – Wolverine, making his first ever appearance, is sent by the Canadian government to apprehend the Hulk. It doesn’t work out so great, but Wolverine made quite the splash and would go on to be a character that a few people have talked about at times.
Why it would be cool – I don’t think Marvel would reboot the Wolverine character with a straight up adaptation, but we all loved seeing Thor and Hulk face off in Thor: Ragnarok, so let’s have a little more of that, but this time with claws!
What we’ve already missed – Logan was at least partially based off of Old Man Logan, a story set in a dystopian, apocalyptic future featuring an aged Wolverine. In that comic, Hulk is Wolverine’s arch-enemy. And while an evil Hulk swallowing Wolverine would likely be off the table, some sort of alternate take on the Hulk coming into conflict with Wolverine would’ve made that movie an entirely different animal.
What we may see now – I would bet dollars to pesos that Kevin Feige, in his secret lab twenty miles below the arctic, is busy scheming up a way to have these two cross paths quickly. And with Wolverine himself Hugh Jackman previously saying he’d love to do an Avengers, we may even see him be the one to battle Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk. Logan 2 anyone? Probably not, but something in that vein isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
House of M 
How it played out in the comics – The Scarlet Witch alters reality so that mutants rule over humans. After a series of battles, she alters it back, but this time by saying the words, “No more mutants.” Once the “original” reality comes back, nearly every mutant has been stripped of his or her powers. Yay, comics!
Why it would be cool – There are technically no mutants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Instead, we have the Inhumans, who are basically just off-brand mutants. A reality twisting effect like the House of M could be *the* thing to bring mutants into the MCU (more on this in a bit).
What we’ve already missed – In this case, nothing. Fox could’ve done a House of M movie if they’d wanted to, as it doesn’t really require the Avengers or anyone they don’t have the rights to in order for it to make sense.
What we may see now – Crazy idea, but let’s imagine that our favorite instable heroine, Scarlet Witch, who has already gotten into some trouble for blowing Crossbones up in Civil War, decides to warp reality for … reasons. (I don’t know, give me a break!) Unlike the comics, though, Scarlet Witch has combined the MCU and Fox worlds where the Avengers and X-Men must team up to battle Magneto. Here, I’m thinking of getting the original Fox X-Men band back together as much as possible in a finale to that universe. Following the battle with Magneto, Scarlet Witch reverts things back to the original MCU, but has inadvertently (or purposely) brought the X-Men back to the MCU with her, although they arrive as rebooted versions of themselves. This whole idea sounds pretty crazy in my head as I type it, but these are comic book movies and Feige is a certified genius when it comes to weaving stories together, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt if he were to adapt this story.
Galactus
How it played out in the comics – In one of comics’ most famous stories, Galactus, a being with godlike powers, arrives on earth to eat it. He is foiled by the Fantastic Four.
Why it would be cool – Galactus and Silver Surfer are some of the coolest characters in all of comics. The MCU has already teased the Watcher, who makes a brief appearance here too. Simply put, if the MCU is going to have the Fantastic Four now, there’s everyone reason in the world – and probably a billion dollars or more – to make a movie around these guys.
What we’ve already missed – While we got a decent Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Galactus never really showed up. In fact, worse than that, he was a freaking cloud. Sigh. This would’ve never happened under Feige’s watch.
What we may see now – How to top Infinity War? Bring in the big guns. The original comic wasn’t a crossover, but you just couldn’t do a Galactus-attacks-earth movie without involving the Avengers in the MCU, so bring them in and – when they are unable to save the day – the Fantastic Four show up and solve the problem!
Spider-Man and the Human Torch
How it played out in the comics – Spider-Man and the Human Torch are besties, but they also tend to get into scuffles as well, kind of like two brothers. Over their many appearances together, the duo has become an enduring team-up in the Marvel universe.
Why it would be cool – A younger version of the Human Torch, aged about the same as the MCU’s Peter Parker, could make for a great on-screen pair. While the MCU has a lot of teams and solo films, Thor: Ragnarok showed us that buddy comedies can be really, really great.
What we’ve already missed – Eh, not much, but this would be a great add.
What we may see now – I’m down for a Spider-Man/Human Torch crossover pretty quickly, and the funnier that movie is, the better. A movie like this could play as more of a buddy comedy than even Ragnarok given the fact that both Spidey and the Torch are, at their core, funny, quippy characters. And even better, they can face off against any threat given their power level, so the movie can have a great story and plot.
There are basically a million X-Men/FF/MCU possibilities out there, so the future is bright for Marvel fanboys and fangirls. These were just the four most obvious in my head, but what did I miss? Let me know in the comments below!
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